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Our Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise Review: What We Loved, What We Didn’t & Whether It’s Worth It
- 2 hours ago
- 16 min read
We sailed a 7-night Alaska itinerary aboard the Norwegian Encore to see how this large, modern ship actually performs on one of the most scenic (and weather-dependent) cruise routes in the world. Alaska cruises can look deceptively affordable at booking, but between add-ons, excursions, and onboard upsells, the experience can vary wildly depending on how you plan.
This review focuses on what the Norwegian Encore was really like, pricing, cabin experience, food, onboard atmosphere, port timing, and whether this ship is a good fit for Alaska specifically. We’ll keep broader planning advice and port logistics light here and link out where deeper guides exist.
What We Paid for Our Norwegian Encore Alaska Cruise
Cruise Fare Breakdown (With Pre-Paid Gratuities)
Our total cost for the cruise with pre-paid gratuities came to $1,664.38 total, or $832.19 per person.
Here’s how that broke down per person:
Guest fare: $518.52
Taxes, fees, and port expenses: $382.27
Pre-paid service charges: $140.00
On paper, the base fare looked reasonable for a 7-night Alaska cruise. As with most cruises, the real question wasn’t the fare, it was everything layered on top of it.
What Was Not Included in the Price
The cruise fare did not include:
shore excursions
alcoholic beverages or drink packages
specialty dining
spa access or treatments
many onboard activities (arcade, VR, games, etc.)
Wifi
This is important context, because Alaska itineraries are heavily port-focused, and excursion costs can add up very quickly.
Booking Norwegian Encore (Our Experience)
Booking Direct vs Cruise Consultant
We booked through a cruise consultant from Norwegian Cruise Line after initially pricing the cruise ourselves on the NCL website. When the consultant called us, the first quoted price was higher than the self-booking price. Only after we mentioned the online quote did the price drop to match it. This was our second interaction with the same consultant, and the experience was not great. She was dismissive, provided no helpful guidance despite this being our first cruise, and discouraged us from discussing third-party pricing altogether. We were told no perks were available, no onboard credit, no Wi-Fi, no discounts, aside from a promised celebration cake and bottle of wine. We never received either.
Would We Book the Same Way Again?
No. Based on this experience, we see no real benefit to using a cruise consultant for Norwegian, especially if you’re comfortable booking online. The only potential advantage is the ability to temporarily (24hr) lock in a price, but beyond that, booking directly yourself offers the same outcome with less friction.
Our Cabin Experience (Sail Away Inside Cabin)
Why We Chose an Inside Cabin
We booked a Sail Away inside cabin to save money and were not able to choose our room in advance. For Alaska, we prioritized our budget for port days and excursions over cabin upgrades.
What Worked Well
The room was larger than expected for an inside cabin and had excellent storage. We fit all luggage under the bed, had ample closet space, and enough bathroom counter space for toiletries.
Other positives:
standing shower with a movable shower head
clothesline in the shower (very useful for wet layers)
multiple outlets (including USB and international)
two sturdy hooks by the door for coats and rain gear
What Didn’t Work
There were a few consistent issues:
the shower leaked, and we went through towels quickly
the bathroom layout felt cramped (specially the toilet!)
smells lingered due to lack of ventilation
the blow dryer had an extremely short cord and was awkward to use
The lack of natural light also made it hard to tell what time of day it was, which made mornings tougher, though it did make napping very easy.
Would We Choose This Cabin Again for Alaska?
Yes, but intentionally. If you plan to spend most of your time off the ship and want to keep costs down, an inside cabin is perfectly workable. If waking up to scenery or having fresh air matters to you, a balcony may be worth the upgrade. We did miss out on a few wildlife sightings since we had no windows or balcony, and on rainy days like cruising through Glacier Bay we had to stand out on the deck in the rain. Days like this it would have been nice to have a balcony, so it's important to know the tradeoffs of booking an inside cabin.
Complimentary Food on Norwegian Encore:
Main Dining Rooms (Manhattan Room, Savor, and Taste)
Menu, Taste, & Portions:
Overall the Main Dining Room options on the Norwegian Encore, we felt were subpar. The menu variety was nice and we found lots of options to chose from. However, most of the food taste highly preserved or microwaved. Meats, all tasted the same with a vinegar based sauce the completely overpowered the dish. Pastas, breads, and appetizers had day old textures with hard exteriors and staleness. Desserts were premade and had a refrigerator taste and all came out around room temperature, even a Crème Brûlée where the top was not even caramelized! Portion sizes were small, as expected, but certain dishes, the ravioli, which came with one, singular small sized ravioli, felt like a bit of stretch from the kitchen.
Staff, Service, & Dining Environment:
The redeeming factor to the dining was the ambiance and staff. The Savor had tables next to a big glass window overlooking the water, where you could see waves crashing again the side of the ship. The Manhattan Room was a a large room with a chandelier, dimmed lighting, and candles (albeit electric, but understandable), offering a standard upscale dining environment.
Differences between Savor, Taste and The Manhattan Dining Rooms:
Savor and the Manhattan Room serve the same main dining menus for both lunch and dinner, so the difference between the two comes down almost entirely to layout, atmosphere, and operating hours, not food quality or selection. On most sailings, both dining rooms are open for dinner, while lunch service is more limited and may rotate depending on the day. Breakfast is typically offered in the buffet, with main dining rooms only occasionally opening for breakfast on select mornings or sea days.
Savor and Taste are smaller and more intimate, with a quieter dining room layout that feels better suited for couples or shorter meals. The Manhattan Room is significantly larger, more formal in design, and often feels like the ship’s “main” dining venue, with big windows, live music on select evenings, and a more classic cruise dining atmosphere. In practice, we found that the choice between Savor, Taste, and the Manhattan Room mattered less for the food and more for the vibe. If you prefer a calmer, more relaxed setting, Savor or Taste tends to feel less hectic. If you enjoy a livelier dining room with more space and a traditional cruise feel, the Manhattan Room is the better option.
Garden Café Buffet
Menus & Variety
Surprisingly, the buffet ended up being our most reliable option. The buffet has a large menu of items, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were consistent items you could always find, such as eggs and bacon for breakfast, pizza for lunch, burgers for dinner, ice cream for dessert, but there were also rotating menus which included more unique items. There were multiple themed dinner nights for different cultures like; Asian, Latin, Middle Eastern, and more.
Cleanliness & Service
While traveling, staying clean and healthy, to make sure we have the best trip is a top priority. One of our initial concerns with a cruise, was cleanliness around food areas, as we had seen countless videos online about how dirty the buffets can be. However, we were surprised to see the level of effort the staff made on the Norwegian Encore to keep the area clean. Passengers were encouraged to wash their hands or use sanitizer every time they went into the buffet. Staff was quick to wipe tables and serving areas where lots of contact was being made. Overall we actually felt the area was well maintained, especially with the number of passengers passing through.
Food Quality & Taste
Like the main dining options, we felt that food quality and taste at the Garden Café Buffet were subpar. Foods tasted highly processed and full of vinegar and other preservatives. We found ourselves sticking to the simplest options for food, quite literally eating steamed rice, grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, and even hot dogs (you cannot really over-process a hotdog anyway). Desserts were premade as expected, so we mainly stuck with ice cream as it was in a self serving machine. There was a hand-dipped "gelato" station, where staff would dip cones and cups for you, while good we would consider it just ice cream not gelato.
American Diner
Food Quality & Taste
Unfortunately, the American Diner was one of our least favorite dining experiences onboard.
The Lechon Asado was especially disappointing. The pork tasted overly sweet, almost as if it had been flavored with ketchup, and the rice and beans were both hard and bland. It lacked the depth and seasoning you would expect from a dish like this. The spaghetti and meatballs were average at best. The meatballs were dense and tough, and the sauce tasted like a basic jarred marinara poured over standard noodles. We’d rate this dish around a 5/10 edible, but nothing memorable.
For dessert, the chocolate mousse had a grainy texture and lacked a rich chocolate flavor. It oddly carried a slight refrigerator aftertaste, which made it difficult to finish.
We also ordered the bread pudding, but it arrived undercooked. After sending it back, the wait for a replacement was long enough that we ultimately chose not to reorder it.
Service & Wait Times
We were lucky to be seated quickly, but that didn’t last long. During peak hours, lines formed fast and wait times increased significantly. Once seated, service was noticeably slow. After placing our orders, it took approximately 30–45 minutes before we saw our server again. Our drinks ran empty, and there were long stretches where no staff members were visible nearby. The slow pacing made an already underwhelming meal feel even longer.
Cleanliness & Hours
The American Diner has limited operating hours and typically closes around midday, which makes it less flexible compared to other dining options onboard. Overall, the space was reasonably clean, but because it’s located outdoors, it naturally felt less tidy than the interior dining venues.
Why We Preferred Garden Café Buffet over American Diner, Savor, Taste or The Manhattan Dining Rooms
We were surprised that we preferred dining at the Garden Café Buffet over the other dining rooms. But, ultimately the food quality and taste were better in the Garden Café Buffet than in the other dining rooms.
We believe food at the Garden Café Buffet is cooked more frequently, due to the sheer quantity of passengers passing through there. You are also able to see the staff as they cook since the kitchen is behind the serving stations; you could visually see when fresh food was replenished. We were able to pick and choose what we wanted, and find healthier options that worked better for us. We know cruises are diet splurge, but if you are planning a day of hiking, rafting, or rock-climbing in Alaska, you may want fresher choices.
Sodas, Alcohol, & Drink Packages
We skipped the drink package and didn’t regret it. Water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and flavored waters were included and available 24/7. Since neither of us drink sodas, this was more than enough for our trip.
As for alcohol, we felt the packages were too expensive for what we would consume. The Unlimited Open Bar Package on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) for Alaskan cruises costs $109 per person per day, plus a 20% gratuity (equating to $21.80/day), bringing the total daily cost to $130.80.
Alcoholic drinks a la carte were expensive, one cocktail cost around $18 and beers were around $15. While that is a lot of money, you would need roughly 7 cocktails or 9 beers per day, to makeup for the daily cost of the alcohol package. While that maybe accomplishable for some, remember all adults in your room must be able to drink the same amount, for you to get your moneys worth!
Extra-consideration: If you are planning on stopping by a bar or brewery while in port, consider how that may effect your drink count on board. You will have to pay for your drinks off the ship which could reduce the amount you drink inside.
Onboard Activities & Entertainment
Lounges & Viewing Areas
All lounges and viewing areas on the Norwegian Encore were accessible to us, except for the The Haven and The Vibe Beach Club, which are both available upon room upgrade or purchase. The bow of the boat is also only accessible for one day when cruising to Glacier Bay, but it does not cost anything extra to visit.
We spent most of our time outside in the pool deck area, when the weather permitted or at the inside observation deck which overlooks the front of the boat. The observation deck had its own basic drink station (water, tea, and coffee) along with a fully functioning bar, and buffet style foods which were served during normal dining hours.
Our Issue with Lounges & Viewing Areas:
There are simply not enough areas inside to sit down and relax during your cruise. For Alaska in particular, when wind, rain, and cold temperatures can happen even during peak season, and we found this to be a bit odd. When the outside pool and observation areas were closed due to weather, the inside observation deck was CRAMMED with people. All the free dining areas would fill up with people, making the buffet area one of the only locations you could find a seat and have a view. Multiple times the only seats we could find were out on the pool deck near the buffet, but it was cold, wet, and windy out there.
Free Shows & Experiences:
The standout entertainment was Choir of Man, which was engaging and well produced. It was performed only one night out of the seven day cruise and it was on everyone's radar. People lined up over an hour early to get a seat! Without giving away too many spoilers, it was a good show with a good cast and we enjoyed it overall, but it is a musical, so if that is not your thing, we recommend skipping.
We also attended a magic show, and a comedy show on board. The magic show was good for families or adults, with witty humor and a few good tricks. We enjoyed it, and it gave us something to go do in the evening. The comedy show however, was one of the worst we have ever experienced. The first act was alright, not our speed but others were enjoying it, but the second act absolutely tanked. He showed a slide show of "funny" images and talked over it. The theater went from full at the beginning of the show, to empty within 15 minutes in. We ended up leaving early as well (we couldn't take anymore!!)! This is not a comedy or magic review post, but just something for you to keep in mind when dividing up your time on board.
Pools, Hot Tubs & Weather Reality
Weather heavily impacted outdoor amenities. Pools were often closed, and hot tubs were lukewarm at best during cold, rainy conditions. This is important to consider for Alaska sailings. We did visit in September which is closer to the cold/wet season, but after talking with some employees on board, we found it is is fairly common for them to close the areas due to weather, even during summer seasons. Alaskan weather can be harsh and unpredictable, so we understood.
Paid Activities & Arcades & Upsells
Many onboard “activities” felt like sales funnels, spa raffles, arcade games, VR experiences, bingo, Deal or No Deal, all with high buy-ins and little value. We went to try bingo during the day time to try and kill time on a cruising day and the minimum buy in for cards was 9 cards, at $49!
We did venture into both arcades on board. Both were small but did offer a variety of games. One was near the center stage and bar area on board, which offered some more adult games like darts or billiards. The other was towards the bottom of the ship and included more digital games for kids. But, here is the thing, prices in the arcades per game were HIGH! Every game differed in price, with a game of billiards costing $6! The Ultimate Arcade Package on Norwegian Encore costs $25 per person per day and is required for every person, including adults, in your cabin. If you have kids, it is definitely something to consider, but we do feel like the price per game and price for the entire package are incredibly steep after the steep price just to get onto the cruise!
Overall Onboard Vibe
The ship felt busy and commercial. There was always something happening, but much of it came with a price tag or was niched for specific groups. We were surprised that a company like Norwegian would require so many extra purchases onboard!
Ports of Call on This Norwegian Encore Itinerary
Juneau (Late Arrival Reality)
We arrived in Juneau around mid-afternoon, with an all-aboard time later that evening. While this still gave us several hours in port, the late arrival significantly limited what we could realistically do. The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center closes in the early evening, museums shut their doors around the same time, and many downtown businesses begin closing not long after. With limited daylight and time, we had to choose between prioritizing the glacier or spending time downtown, there simply wasn’t enough time to do both comfortably.
Skagway (Best Port Day)
Skagway was, without question, our favorite port on this itinerary. We arrived early in the morning and had a full day in port, which made a huge difference. The longer port window allowed us to book a more involved shore excursion, explore town at a relaxed pace, and still make it back to the ship without feeling rushed. If you’re choosing between itineraries, ports with longer, earlier dock times, like Skagway on this sailing, provide the most flexibility and value.
Glacier Bay National Park (Why This Matters)
Glacier Bay was one of the highlights of the entire cruise and a major reason we chose this itinerary. The ship entered the bay in the morning, spent several hours slowly cruising through the area, and provided extended viewing time from multiple decks and indoor spaces. Unlike standard port stops, Glacier Bay is about the experience from the ship itself, dramatic scenery, massive glaciers, and commentary throughout the day. Not all Alaska itineraries include Glacier Bay, so if it’s important to you, it’s worth prioritizing during the booking process.
Ketchikan (Canceled / Short Port Risk)
Our Ketchikan stop was ultimately canceled due to weather. While cancellations are always disappointing, this port in particular highlighted how vulnerable short Alaska port calls can be. Even when Ketchikan isn’t canceled, Norwegian ships often dock far from town, and shuttle times can eat into an already limited visit.
This experience reinforced the importance of building flexibility into Alaska cruise expectations, weather and logistics can change plans quickly, and some ports are more susceptible to disruption than others.
We were also disappointed with how Norwegian handled the cancellation onboard. The ship added a few extra activities (a bean bag toss, and hangman), but there was little meaningful compensation for the lost port day. Each person received a $20 onboard credit, but the credit was charged to the room first and reimbursed later, which was confusing and not clearly explained. Overall, the response felt minimal given that an entire port day, and the experiences people had planned and paid for, was lost.
Victoria (Easy Walkable Stop)
Victoria served as a smooth and enjoyable final stop. Even though it was a shorter evening visit, the port was easy to navigate independently. We were able to walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, see the Parliament Building, explore downtown, and grab food without needing transportation or advance planning. As a final port, Victoria worked well as a low-stress, walkable stop, especially after a more excursion-heavy Alaska itinerary.
Shore Excursions: Cruise Line vs Booking Independently
Why We Skipped Most NCL Excursions
Norwegian Cruise Line offers a wide range of shore excursions, but we found the pricing to be dramatically higher than comparable options booked independently.
For example, common activities like Jeep rentals, whale watching tours, scenic railways, and helicopter rides were often priced hundreds of dollars more per person through the cruise line. In many cases, similar tours offered by independent operators followed nearly identical routes and schedules, just without the cruise-line markup. While booking through the ship does offer convenience and a guarantee the ship won’t leave without you, the price difference was difficult to justify, especially on an Alaska itinerary where excursions can quickly become the largest expense of the trip.
What We Booked Instead
Instead, we booked excursions independently in both Juneau and Skagway. This allowed us to:
save a significant amount of money
choose experiences that better matched our interests and activity level
avoid tightly packed, large-group tours
In Juneau, we opted for a self-guided day using a rental car, which gave us full control over timing and priorities. In Skagway, we booked a guided experience through an independent operator that offered a smaller group size and a more immersive experience than the cruise-line alternatives. Booking independently did require a bit more planning, but the flexibility and cost savings made it well worth it.
Skagway Excursion Highlight
Our standout excursion of the entire trip was the Chilkoot Trail hike, float, and summit drive tour in Skagway. The experience combined hiking, scenic river floating, and a drive along the White Pass, offering a much deeper look at the area than a single-activity tour.
It was active, scenic, and well-organized, and easily the most memorable part of the cruise.
Biggest Downsides of Norwegian Encore
While the Norwegian Encore offers a polished, modern ship experience, there were a few notable downsides that consistently impacted our trip:
Heavy upselling across onboard activities, entertainment, and amenities
Limited free onboard activities, especially during sea days or poor weather
Inconsistent food quality across both dining rooms and buffet
Strong dependence on outdoor amenities, which are frequently affected by Alaska’s unpredictable weather
None of these issues alone ruined the cruise, but together they significantly shaped the overall experience, particularly for travelers expecting more included value onboard.
Final Verdict: Is Norwegian Encore Worth It for Alaska?
The Norwegian Encore can be a strong option for an Alaska cruise, depending on what you want out of the experience and how you plan your trip. It tends to work best for first-time cruisers who appreciate clear schedules, a structured onboard environment, and the convenience of a large, modern ship.
Travelers who are specifically looking for an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay National Park, and who plan to spend most of their time focused on ports and scenery rather than onboard activities, will likely find solid value here. The ship also suits budget-conscious cruisers who are comfortable booking excursions independently and limiting onboard spending.
That said, Norwegian Encore is not the ideal choice for everyone. Travelers seeking a relaxed, low-pressure atmosphere with minimal upselling may find the onboard experience more commercial than expected. Likewise, those who prioritize destination-focused enrichment, educational programming, or a quiet cruise experience, may feel the ship places greater emphasis on entertainment than on cultural or regional depth.
Bottom Line
Norwegian Encore is worth considering for Alaska if you approach it as a comfortable, well-equipped base for exploring the destination rather than the main attraction itself. When expectations are aligned and planning is done with a ports-first mindset, the itinerary can deliver an excellent Alaska experience. Travelers looking for a more inclusive, enrichment-driven, or serene onboard atmosphere may want to explore other cruise lines better suited to those priorities.